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APRIL 2001 MBA JOURNAL: HOME STRETCH David Chang: Second Year Winds Down "Even putting aside the present state of the economy, trying to find a great fit with a company is a lengthy, obstacle-laden process."
During the past year and a half, I've been asked this simple question hundreds of times, but until very recently, the answer eluded me. When starting the job hunt last year, I briefly considered some of the traditional paths taken by MBA graduates, but none of those roles felt like good matches. The advisory nature of banking and consulting positions at blue-chip firms didn't appeal to me, while pure entrepreneurship felt too much like a roll of the dice. Toward the end of the year, I gravitated towards mid to large size operating companies, who often recruited for positions such as sales, finance, and business development. But I found most of these roles to be too highly specialized and narrowly defined. In fact, during almost every job discussion or interview, in the back of my mind I thought, "what else do you have?" Looking to BostonTrek & Cyberposium for Help With less than a semester left, I was no closer to committing to a direction than I was at the start of the MBA program. Unclear about the ultimate course of my job search, I began to spend every free moment thinking about the potential paths I could take. Without an explicit agenda, I continued to pour through corporate literature, solicit friends' opinions, talk about the prospects of particular companies, and meet with prospective leads. Two events in February, BostonTrek and Cyberposium, were instrumental in helping me sort through the maze of choices. BostonTrek, a career-networking event linking more than 300 students with 80 companies, was a low-pressure forum in which to get to know prospective local employers. Via dinners and presentations, I had the opportunity to dive deeply into the products and services of almost twenty companies in the Boston area. A week later, Cyberposium, a student-run conference, brought together nearly 2,000 people from around the world. I bounced ideas off of people throughout the high-tech conference, and I learned just as much from speaking to students from the 30 other MBA programs as I did from company representatives and industry pundits. Uncovering My Career Goals - Product Management By the end of February, several "must-have" job criteria emerged: 1) not being bound to any one particular functional area, 2) having responsibility for both strategy and implementation, and 3) facing outward and inward organizationally. As the haze surrounding my career goals lifted, I realized that I really wanted to take ownership of a product from start to finish, work with people from multiple disciplines, and build a team and an organization. I had an epiphany - suddenly, all signs were pointing toward product management. Two incidents in particular reaffirmed that I was headed in the right direction. The first took place right after a talk I attended on content management given by Akamai. I approached one of the company representatives, and before I got to say a single word, she described the details of her job as a product manager, which articulated perfectly what I was looking for. The second occurred during a breakfast session with Siebel, where product management was cited as a frequent destination for post-MBAs. Product managers were depicted as general managers who drive nearly facet of a particular business line, guaranteeing them broad functional exposure. After these two incidents, I felt that I could finally give an answer to the "what do you want to do?" question: "I am looking for a product management role in a software company." Reality Check I was elated for the next couple of days since I finally had an ideal career path in mind. However, I promptly sobered up as I tuned back into the real world. With the economy in such dire shape, many prospects in the labor market were vanishing. In fact, several of my initial conversations with large high-tech companies recently turned into dead-ends. For one company, I found out about the demise of my position while walking past a TV tuned to CNBC - the grim text flashed at the bottom of the screen, "Hiring Freeze. Layoffs Announced. Analysts Reduce Estimates for Entire Sector." With my impeccable timing, I may have chosen the worst time in the past decade to be looking for a job. Even putting aside the present state of the economy, trying to find a great fit with a company is a lengthy, obstacle-laden process. For example, I had one interview that I thought went perfectly - I sensed that I hit it off with the interviewer and left thinking that I was an ideal candidate since I had deep, relevant industry experience. But I was baffled when I received a rejection letter a week later. On the other end of the spectrum, I spoke to a different company and had a series of terrible interviews. As I met with each person, I became less and less interested in the company's products, and by the end of the day, I nearly knocked people over in the lobby in an attempt to get out of the building as fast as I could. Ironically, I later received several calls from the firm wanting to talk further. Despite these challenges, there is some room for optimism. Just today, I visited and interviewed with two promising firms looking for product managers with precisely my background in technology and financial services. Even if neither of these pans out, I still have a long list of prospective employers to sift through sitting on my desk. Since many of the smaller companies can only commit to hiring mid to senior level positions very close to intended start dates, some of the most lucrative opportunities will surface as the June timeframe approaches. Although waiting until then might be unnerving, it may be well worth it in the long run. Still Learning Meanwhile, the academic world continues to revolve. We forge ahead in my Corporate Financial Management class, grinding through case after case, spreadsheet after spreadsheet. In contrast, my Professional Services and Compensation and Incentives classes demonstrate that learning need not be painful. The professors in these two classes are intelligent, thoughtful, and charismatic individuals who lead discussions with humor and wit. I look forward to each class, partially because I am guaranteed to laugh, but also because we often reveal valuable, applicable insights. With the light at the end of my eighteen-year educational tunnel appearing, I am surprised that I still find myself scribbling profusely at the end of a class to jot down takeaways. Almost Over With less than three months of student life left, I wonder about how to make the most of my time before rejoining the professional world. My thoughts turn towards the social aspects, so I plan on going to as many of the poker nights, pub nights, get-togethers, and parties as I can sandwich between classes and interviews. In addition, preparations for year-end events such as section dinners with our families, boat cruises, and the Newport Ball are in full swing. Compared to when I first step foot on campus in the fall of 1999, striking a balance among the academic, professional, and social commitments is a great deal easier. Time pressures are no longer as agonizing, but finding the best way to spend the dwindling days is more important than it ever was.  | | Learn about your online education options |
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